How to Validate the Right Journal to Publish your Research?

When writing your research paper, it is best to publish it through an academic journal for the best chance of impactful success. There are many differences between journals and regular articles. Some major ones include things like audience engagement and publishing quality, which will help your work be seen by more people and have a more significant impact.

In this article, we're going to show you how to choose the right journal to publish your research to give you a head start in the world of scientific publishing.

First, make sure to do a submission check.

The first step in making sure your work meets journal requirements is checking for alignment with their guidelines. This will help ensure that everything else in the process goes smoothly, and it also shows them that you took time to understand what they want from your submission.

You can also ask for advice from the librarian of your university or academic institution. There, you will obtain all the information about the journals the institution is subscribed to, the guidelines, and any other related info.

There are many cases where there is quite a bit of information, like different sources or multiple authors. And many of those cases require special attention because minor errors can lead to big mistakes. Ensuring accuracy and consistency flashes back to ensuring that you have an organized structure for your manuscript so that any changes are easy to spot.

That is why it's crucial to submit a manuscript for review before publication.

A manuscript submission check can help you find any problems with your citations and references that might cause accusations of plagiarism against you, amongst other mistakes.

Now ask yourself:

Do you know the aims & scope of the journal?

We all want to publish in the best journals possible.

But if you submit your work into a journal with an incompatible research scope, it can get rejected and ultimately lead to wasted time. To avoid this, take some time to study the aims & scope of any potential journal before submitting your work.

Take a look at the “About the Journal” section; you may even find a section that states “Aims & Scopes.” These resources can help you with your approach and voice before you begin crafting a manuscript.

You will find paying attention to a journal's abstract features will give you a firm grasp of what the articles in that issue will cover and the direction for most of the articles that have been written.

If you're still not sure, don't worry - there will most likely be a table of contents or articles for you to skim through as examples to understand their aims & scope as well.

Do you understand the journal author’s guidelines?

The best way to submit your paper is first to read the submission guidelines before you start writing. Each journal has different specifications, so make sure that your article is formatted and written in a way that meets the journal’s requirements.

Besides the quality of your research, how well you present it can also make or break your chances. Poorly-presented papers are often overlooked because they're assumed to be poorly written, despite their content.

Quality presentation is just as important as quality writing and research for the final product that's worthy of publication.

Do you agree with the timeframe for publishing?

There is no other place in the stratosphere of academia where you will find more drama than in publishing.

One author's work can be rejected and published all within a day.

And while that first scenario would seem like the norm, it is actually quite common for an article to linger on a desk for more than six months before being either accepted or rejected.

A good journal will give a response in 4-6 weeks after submission.

High-profile journals are flooded with submissions, and they often take a lot longer to publish papers, usually between 9-12 months. They also have much higher rejection rates because of the sheer amount of requests they get.

What is "JIF," and how does it affect what journal you choose?

What are Journal Impact Factors?

The impact factor of a journal is an indicator of how influential the average research in that journal has been over the course of the year. Impact Factor is calculated by taking note of how often its articles are cited and then rank them accordingly. The higher an article’s IF, the more respected or influential that article is, and the more respected or influential that publication becomes.

Many academics believe that using the Journal Impact Factor for measuring journal quality is controversial. The JIF only considers how often articles are cited and how much they are read by people, which does not always indicate if an article is actually high-quality work.

Nevertheless, some still use it as a default measure for determining reputation and quality.

When it comes to submitting a manuscript to the journal with the highest impact factor, there is a temptation  that often overpowers an individual's ability to:

• Put their target audience before impact factors.
• Objectively analyze their research.
• Strategize for the best possible outcome and not based on the popularity of a particular journal.

This inhibits them from determining if it is genuinely suitable for said publication.

Failure to make a distinction will risk you having to spend valuable time and effort resubmitting your manuscript multiple times for multiple publications.

Are you submitting your works to well-indexed journals?

The prestigious nature of well-indexed journals cannot be argued. The criteria for indexing a journal are not arbitrary, and they should be taken into consideration if you want your work to have as much impact as possible.

As a researcher and writer, it's essential to make sure that your target publication is indexed in the Web of Science by ISI or Scopus. The most reputable databases for your field should also index the journal.

Inclusion in these journals dramatically improves your research’s visibility, which will help you gain citations as well.

Let's Review

To ensure a smooth path to publication, you need to keep in mind the journal's aims and scope.

Also, try to Identify journals with an acceptable time frame for when you like to have your research published.

Then, consider the Journal Impact Factors when submitting your work, along with making sure that the particular journals you are working with are well indexed on the Web of Science by ISI or Scopus.

If you find yourself looking for an all-in-one platform for your publishing needs, here at Orvium we have an open peer review process, as well as product highlight features such as collaboration, showcasing your profile, and tracking your impact.

Not to mention Orvium offers a modern web platform that is mobile-friendly, protected by blockchain technology and has Google indexing capabilities.

The best part is you can get started today.

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